Subject Study Guides

Biology

Cell Structure and Function Study Guide

Every living thing is made of cells, and every cell is a set of parts that each do one job. Prokaryotic cells (bacteria) have no nucleus, while eukaryotic cells (animals, plants, fungi and protists) keep their DNA in a nucleus and divide their work among membrane-bound organelles. The cell membrane decides what gets in and out, and almost every question on this topic comes back to matching a structure to its job.

Biology

Photosynthesis and Cellular Respiration Study Guide

Photosynthesis and cellular respiration are two linked sets of reactions: photosynthesis uses light energy to build glucose and release oxygen, and cellular respiration breaks glucose down to make ATP. The products of one are the starting materials of the other, which is why the two equations look like mirror images. Most test questions ask you to track where the energy and the atoms go.

Biology

Mitosis vs Meiosis Study Guide

Mitosis makes two genetically identical cells for growth and repair, while meiosis makes four genetically different sex cells with half the chromosomes. Mitosis keeps the chromosome number the same, and meiosis halves it so that fertilization can restore it. Nearly every comparison question comes down to how many divisions, how many cells and how similar they are.

U.S. History

American Revolution Study Guide

The American Revolution grew out of a dispute over who had the right to tax and govern the colonies after the costly French and Indian War. Britain’s new taxes and laws, and the colonists’ claim of no taxation without representation, escalated from protest to war in 1775. The colonies declared independence in 1776 and won it, with French help, in a war that ended with the Treaty of Paris in 1783.

U.S. History

Progressive Era Study Guide

The Progressive Era, roughly 1890 to 1920, was a period when reformers tried to fix the social, economic and political problems that came with industrialization and fast-growing cities. They exposed corruption, regulated big business, protected consumers and expanded democracy. Most test questions ask you to match a reform or a reformer to the problem it was meant to solve.

Economics

Supply and Demand Study Guide

Supply and demand explains how prices are set in a market: buyers want lower prices, sellers want higher ones, and the market price settles where the two sides agree. When the price is too high there is a surplus, and when it is too low there is a shortage, which pushes the price back toward equilibrium. Most questions ask which curve shifts and what that does to price and quantity.

Math

Linear Equations and Functions Study Guide

A linear equation graphs as a straight line, and its slope-intercept form, y = mx + b, gives the two things you need to draw it: the slope m and the y-intercept b. A function is a rule that gives exactly one output for each input, and every non-vertical line is a function. Most problems ask you to find a slope, write an equation from two points or a graph, or decide whether a relation is a function.

Chemistry

Chemical Bonds and the Periodic Table Study Guide

Atoms bond to reach a more stable arrangement of valence electrons: in ionic bonds electrons are transferred between a metal and a nonmetal, and in covalent bonds electrons are shared between nonmetals. The periodic table predicts which kind of bond forms, because an element’s group tells you how many valence electrons it has and its electronegativity shows how strongly it pulls on shared electrons. Most questions ask you to predict a bond type or a charge from an element’s position.

English

Figurative Language and Literary Terms Study Guide

Figurative language uses words in a way that goes beyond their literal meaning, to make writing more vivid, emotional or memorable. The most tested devices are comparisons (simile and metaphor), exaggeration (hyperbole), giving human traits to things (personification) and sound patterns such as alliteration. To identify one, ask what the writer is really saying and which technique gets it across.

Spanish

Spanish Food Vocabulary Study Guide

Spanish food words come with a built-in clue: each noun is masculine (el) or feminine (la), and learning the word together with its article is the fastest way to remember its gender. This guide covers common foods and drinks, the articles that go with them, and how to ask for what you want at a table. Most vocabulary quizzes ask you to match a Spanish word to its English meaning and to use the right article.